


Poppet

by TimidMarshmallow



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: (first person), AU i guess?, Angst, HOW DID PROMPTO GET TO LUCIS?, Noctis is barely in it, Prompto's point of view, i don't know because his past is so vague, it was totes ardyn, spoilers probably, the sad childhood of a kind man
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 11:20:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11622471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TimidMarshmallow/pseuds/TimidMarshmallow
Summary: How did Prompto ever survive before Noctis?





	Poppet

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to try a new writing style, and this idea wouldn't leave me alone. I'm not sure I'll use this style again, it's very different from my usual one. The numbers will tell you how old he is in that section. 
> 
> I'm still Team Prompto was stolen by Ardyn.

Everything is white. 

And cold. 

Everything was white and cold before too, but back then the man holding me was on the other side of the glass. 

He had been smiling then, and he's smiling now as I cry. It's too cold, the air is so still, and so he has me wrapped in something that's too tight. 

But... it's a little bit warmer. 

Maybe it's safe to sleep now?

"Yes, hush now, little poppet. You are but one piece of a prophecy, and so you'll need a name. You've escaped your fate as a metal toy... It would be simply delicious to name you in mockery of this. Something metal... something metal... Prompto Argentum. It means Quicksilver in an ancient tongue, long since forgotten. Heh. Like me, I guess. Oh. You're already asleep. I'll let you know of your new name and purpose when we get to Lucis."

-o-

There's other people. 

They are too loud. The man keeps covering me whenever they move closer. Then it's too dark. 

I don't like this. 

"Hush, poppet. Public transportation is a necessary evil. I can't very well swim across the ocean with you. Or fly, even though all the red sparkles of the armiger would amuse you. You'll get your chance to play with royal magic. That horrid Chosen One will have blue magic, you'll love it. You'll love him. You have to. Or else none of this will go the way I want. And we simply can't have that."

The man pokes my nose. His voice is low, and smooth, but it's not comforting. It's familiar now, but it's never comforting. 

-o-

"Galdin Quay. I'll meet up with you again here. At least, if things go the way I mapped it out. It should, but there are always those annoying variables. Pesky little things." 

There's the shrieking of the circling shadows in the sky. Seagulls, the man said. 

There's less people now, and it stopped being cold ages ago. Now it's too hot. 

"You'll cry at any little thing, won't you? Hush. You already ate on the ship, that couple with the brat was nice enough to spare some formula for you. I should have thought of that earlier. Oh well. We should probably get more before we hit the road... Let's see... Lucis uses gil now, where is it, where, ah!"

We've stopped moving, and the man is talking to someone who isn't me. 

"Oh, he's adorable! Your wife must be very beautiful if he's that cute! How old is he?"

"Haha, yes. Almost six months, if I'm remembering the date correctly. May I have the largest container of baby formula you have? And the largest pack of diapers? I'm afraid I miscalculated and I've none left."

"You're in luck, we just restocked. Usually we don't get many of these items. The tourists don't really shop for essentials here, just the souvenirs." 

The man jostled me a bit as we started moving again. There was only one arm holding me now. 

"Hush! You really are too sensitive! I should've let you grow a bit more, but Besithia wanted to scrap your batch. I couldn't pass up that chance. Had I chosen any other type then the clone would've turned. He's been infecting them at earlier ages with each prototype... I gave him a bit too much help. He's going to have to be taken care of one day... I think I'll have you do it, poppet. You don't have any daemon in you, so you'll survive for as long as I need you to."

He's touching my face again, tickling at my chin. 

"Finally, a noise other than whining."

He sounds pleased that I'm giggling? 

"Let's get off this sandy dump."

-o-

There's straps holding me in place, and we're going fast. 

"You really never stop crying. Here, listen to the radio. Next time I'm going to steal a car with a car seat AND a CD collection."

There's music mingling with the rushing wind. The sky looks so pretty, the blue is much nicer than the icy grey of the other land. 

I was almost asleep when the movement stops, and then suddenly he's holding me again. 

"Eating time again, poppet. Hopefully this'll hold you until we get to the Crown City. This stupid little outpost better have baby supplies, you need a pacifier. I'm sick of your crying."

The bottle empties too quickly. I want more. The man must get the idea, because soon it's shoved back into my mouth. My tummy is full, but there's still more. It's quiet again, and the man is rocking me, shushing me and slowly easing the bottle away... 

-o-

There's a loud honk, and it's scary. I don't like it, there's too much noise now. 

"Come on, Prompto, seriously? Go back to sleep. It's just a stupid truck. I can't do anything about this traffic, you're just going to have to wait. We'll be past border control soon, and then it's straight to the capital. We need to be close to the Citadel, I have lots of strings to pull."

The man moves into view and pops something into my mouth. I suck on it. It's okay, I guess. Actually, I don't like it. 

"Don't spit it out! I did not spend five gil for you to decide you don't like the pacifier." 

He's trying to put it back in, but there's more honking so he just gives up and disappears again. I hear him muttering something about other drivers? 

All this noise fades into the background the longer we're moving, and I've discovered that my fingers are tasty. And my drool is smearable! This is fun!

"What're you giggling about, Prompto? You have two settings, huh? Overjoyed or whiny. Oh, how sickening. You're spreading saliva everywhere."

Sucking on my thumb is much more comforting than that other thing from earlier. The blurry images outside the window are kind of funny to watch. 

-o-

"Welcome to your home for the next twenty years. Here, eating time again. I'm actually envious of you, getting to sleep through the unnecessarily complicated process of acquiring this house."

This house is quiet, and the man has put me down now that I've eaten. He's moving about, putting something down there and then something else inside little slamming doors. I want to move too, but swinging my legs and arms gets me nowhere. 

"What do you want now, poppet? You've eaten, you're not covered in your own fecal matter, what is your problem?" 

He finally picks me up. I can see more now. 

"You just want to be a pain. I'm not surprised. Don't think I'll get attached to you. You're just my precious little pawn, so abandon any thoughts of gaining affection."

His voice is all hard again, but I'm getting used to it.

-1-

"You are one year old, you don't need to keep sucking your thumb." 

He pulls it out. I put it back in and try to walk away. This whole moving thing is tricky. He easily picks me up and holds me as he sits on the sofa. 

"Maybe a story will distract you from that stupid habit of yours." He's pulling at my wrist to remove my thumb again. "Do you want to hear about the Astrals? Or that idiotic royal family?"

I want to go get a cookie but the man starts talking. I settle, because these stories are always long and he starts waving his hands at certain points. It's funny. 

"-And the last time I went to the Citadel I finally caught a glimpse of this Chosen One. He's a bit older than you, but you should still end up in the same grade. I should probably get some sort of citizenship record for you, I checked all the nearby schools the royal brat might potentially go to. It's boring details like this that make the time seem longer. Ah, but what's a measly nineteen years, no, it should actually take twenty nine. Either way, it's nothing. I have lived in darkness for ages. I can handle a little more."

Seriously, I want a cookie. It seems like he's finished for now, so I try wiggling off of his lap. He lets me. 

-2-

"Can I go out?" I want to go outside, I've even put on the wristband he insists I wear, but he's shaking his head no. Again. Everything I ask for gets a no. 

"Prompto, it's raining. You'll catch a cold, and I am not dealing with a sick two year old. I don't have the time or the patience."

Don't cry, don't cry, he always gets that hard voice again when I cry. Oops. The tears come anyway, but if I suck my thumb then the noise won't be so loud. 

"Poppet. You're still so sensitive. I hope that your future friends will be able to handle that. I certainly can't. Come here." 

I stand in front of him, but he doesn't pick me up. 

"Do you know why I call you poppet, Prompto?" 

"Out?" Is he seriously not going to take me out?

"I call you that because you're a precious toy, a doll, and I've always been extra careful not to break my toys until they've outlived their usefulness. So no to you going outside, stop your sniveling." 

-o-

We're in the store, and there are some yummy-looking oranges. I reach out to point. My coat sleeve rides up, and the wristband moves with it. An old lady points at the bad mark. 

"What's that on your arm there, dearie?" Her voice sounds kind, but the man has told me to stay away from other people. Just like he told me to keep the wristband on. 

The man grabs my wrist, squeezing. The tears fall before I can stop them. "Hush, poppet, she won't hurt you. Excuse me, fair madam, but you're scaring him. Please don't ask such personal questions."

The old lady mumbles an apology and scurries away. The man hasn't let go of my wrist, but he's not squeezing so hard now. We leave the store without any bags. What about the food? Why did we go to the food store without getting more?

"I know this time was an accident, but if that wristband comes off again then you'll be sorry. Keep it on. Do you hear me, Prompto?"

I nod. "Sorry." I don't know why to cover the bad mark. I don't even know why it's there. The man doesn't have one. I've checked. 

"Just stop your annoying whining. We've got to go to a different store now."

-o-

The man comes in, but he looks different. I know it's him though. Is this a game, like the flash cards?

"You look weird." He looks like a woman with hair like mine. 

"I know. I need you to forget my real face. I've got to wear this silly glamour until you're all grown. If you realize who I am then you'll say something to the prince. I have another disguise, but when I have this face you will call me Mom." 

"Mom?" The television has shows with mommies, but the man is nothing like that. Yeah, he feeds me and stuff, but he doesn't act the way the television says mommies act. And... he's talking about the prince again. He says that he'll be my friend. The television also taught me about friends. Will the prince really like me? Where is he then? 

-3-

He's wearing the Dad face today. 

"You know what? Today's your birthday. You're three years old. It's easy to forget I've had you this long... Soon you'll start school. I'll have to leave then. I need to check in on Besithia and Aldercapt, the fools have probably done something extremely stupid in my absence."

"Can we go outside?" It's cold out, but the leaves are everywhere and it's fun to play in them. 

"I suppose. Get your wristband." 

I hold up my arm. It's already on. It's always on, except for bathtime. He gets mad if it's not on. I don't like his voice when he's mad. 

"Good little poppet."

We go outside for a little bit, and I crunch some leaves. They look so pretty, so I grab some to show him. There's a tiny smile. I've never seen him smile before. 

Too bad he's wearing the Dad face. 

"They're exquisite, Prompto." 

He's always using big words, and he's said that I have a wonderful vocabulary as a result. 

Whatever that means. 

-4-

It's dark when I wake up. I know it's past bedtime, but the scary dreams came back. There's always clanking and white everywhere and I'm so cold in those dreams. I don't know where that place is, but I'm glad I'm not there. 

The man isn't in the house. I wanted another story for bed. I don't have scary dreams when he talks about the prince. I can't remember what face he had on before I went to sleep, so which do I call for? "Mom? Dad?" 

What was the name for when he had the messy, dark red hair? I don't know. 

I haven't seen his real face in a long time. 

I can open the door on my own now, even though I'm not supposed to. I have the wristband on, so maybe he won't get mad if he's right outside. "Where are you?"

It's cool out here, better than before. It had been so hot today. I don't see him by the mailbox. Maybe I should just wait in bed? 

Ooh? A firefly!? I'm going to catch it to show him. The man had called them pesky insects, but he said that about everything. I've stopped listening when he sounds annoyed about the 'pesky royals'. 

Come back, firefly! I can't go in the bush. Aw. I better go back. Only... which way was back home?

"Mom? Dad?" There's no one on the dark street. I can't find which way to go. I can't help it when the tears come, and I know I'm not supposed to suck my thumb, but I'm scared. The man is going to be so angry and then I will have to stay in my room all alone. I always have to stay there when I get in trouble because he's frustrated with me. 

"Prompto!? What are you doing outside of the house? You are supposed to be sleeping! Get over here!" 

He's wearing the Mom face, that's right. It's twisted into anger. "Mom!" I run and latch on, but he peels me off and starts dragging me behind him by the bad mark. "I-I was s-scared, and you w-were gon-ne, and I c-couldn-n't-t find y-you!"

"So you wander outside, where anyone could snatch you? Oh, the irony! If you had been kidnapped again... I've told you time and again, don't leave the house! At least you remembered your wristband, you little brat. When we get home you're going straight to bed, and you won't come out at all tomorrow. Do you like eating all alone in your room? Is that why you're so naughty sometimes?"

"N-no! I wan-nt to b-be gooooood! I'm so-or-rrrryyyy! I-I'm s-sor-"

"Hush! You're going to wake up the whole neighborhood!"

I shut my mouth. I can't stop the sniffling though. 

When we get inside his voice is calmer. 

"Stop your whimpering, poppet. I should've known you would discover my little night trips. I've been so busy ruining peace treaties all night to see that you're getting bigger and bolder. Well, as bold as you can be. You're still so anxious about everything... And you're not truly naughty. You only get in trouble so much because you can't complete simple tasks. It's to be expected, you're still a child. I don't know how else to teach you though. I haven't had to care for someone so young in millennia."

He's actually picked me up and started carrying me back to bed. 

"If you ever wake up and I'm not here, stay in the house. Next time you wander off I'll let you get taken, prophecy be damned. The Chosen will just have to find a new fourth member then."

-5-

"What's the number one rule?"

"Don't take off the wristband, don't talk about home, don't talk to anyone that's not the teacher asking me something!" I grip the backpack straps. 

"Right, poppet."

"Dad, you said I'll meet the prince at school?" I hope that's right, I've heard the stories all my life and I even saw him on the television the other day!

"Not yet. You'll meet him when you're older. Don't say anything about him to anyone."

"Okay."

-o-

There's a letter and a box on the table three days before I will turn six. The man is gone. 

'We have business to attend to. We won't be back for a while, but we've arranged for gil to be mailed to you each month. Food will be delivered weekly. Keep the house clean. We'll check in, but you probably won't see us. - Mom and Dad'

The box has a camera in it. There's another note inside, too. 'We'll check over your photos, so take lots of pictures.'

The next day I check for more letters in the mailbox, but there's nothing there. I announce that I'm home, in case the man is here. 

No one answers. 

-6-

It's not so hard to keep the house clean. The man had been giving me lessons after school before he left. He always wore the Mom face for those lessons, and the Dad face would tell me stories. They had stopped being about the prince though, so they weren't as good. 

I fill the camera with cute animal pictures. They're always so nice to me when I pet them on the walk home. 

The other kids at school don't really talk to me, so I don't try to talk to them. Plus, they laugh when I get embarrassed talking to the teacher. It's so hard to interact with people. 

Is that why I wasn't ever allowed to leave the house? Is that why I had to avoid other people? I always thought it was because of the bad mark, the one I still keep covered all the time. 

There's no one around that I can ask, so I just focus on the school work. 

-o-

They're talking about parents and jobs at school today, and I hope the teacher doesn't call on me. What will I say? I don't know what Mom or Dad do at work. 

No, wait. They're actually that man... The one I can't remember. 

Right? 

-7-

I'm sick, and so I'll have to miss school. That's not great. School is the only time I'm not alone, even if no one there talks to me. 

It's okay, it will be fine. I'm alone all summer, one winter day won't be that hard to survive. 

Even though my head hurts and my nose is running and my eyes are puffy... 

I'm half asleep when I think I see Mom? There's the sound of something shattering, and relief washes over me. 

"Oh, poppet, you're so weak. And lucky. I'm shocked I haven't had to intervene earlier. You've done a surprisingly good job. Go to sleep now, the potion will take care of the rest."

-8-

I've started walking around the city to take more pictures. I even visit the library and the game store. 

I've saved up enough of the gil from the mailbox to buy some games and comics. 

I always make sure to clean up in case Mom and Dad come home. I still remember that episode from my favorite television show, the one where the characters get in trouble for having a messy room. I don't want that to happen to me if they ever come back, that'd be a horrible way to spend what little time I get with them. 

Their last visit was...

I can't remember. 

But they have to be alive, at least. The gil still comes, the food is still delivered. Sometimes there's even pre-prepared meals and I don't have to eat the vegetables raw. 

-9-

Everyone's talking about how the prince is coming to our class. 

Prince... prince... 

Why is that important? 

He passes by in the hall one day, and I snap a picture. 

-o-

There's a dog that needs help not far from my house. I take it home, I can always clean up any mess it might make. 

Tiny. I name her that because she really is very small. There's no collar, so I don't know where her home is. She can stay with me.

-o-

She's gone. How did she even get out? I hope she finds her home. 

When I check the mailbox for the gil I find a letter. 

Lunafreya? 

This girl wants me to talk to the prince. Noctis. She thinks I can be his friend. That would be nice, the friends on the television always have lots of fun together. 

It's just another ordinary school day when I approach him outside, and of course I fall down on my face. 

He helps me up. No one ever helps me. 

"Heavy..."

Oh. Is that what's wrong with me? I can fix that, the television has programs about losing weight. There's a show where runners jog with their camera. I can do that. Maybe I should ask someone if there's a better way first. I'll ask a classmate, the teacher this year seems a bit scary to talk to. 

-10-

I've lost a lot of baby fat, but I'm not done yet. I can still do better. I have to. 

Maybe Mom and Dad will be proud once I have a friend. 

I think he sees me watching sometimes, but I can't say hi yet. I'm not ready. I'll wait until high school, I'll be fit then. I'll even practice talking to people before I talk to him. That should be enough time to improve. 

But a few times, it looks like he wants to say hi first. 

-o-

Middle school is a blur of homework and classes and running and running and running. It's not so hard anymore, and I've started greeting a fellow jogger! 

I wonder if Mom and Dad check the camera when they visit. I know they come home, stuff will be in a slightly different spot sometimes. It's usually after I wake up that I notice stuff is moved, or after I get home from school. 

A couple days after I turn thirteen I find Lunafreya's letter out on my desk. I know I didn't do that, I always keep it inside the drawer. It reminds me that I only have a little bit left to go before I can say hi. 

-15-

High school... I think I'm ready. I even have a little bit of muscle, all the girls at school are always fawning over the bigger guys. 

I search the crowd, and Noctis is lazily walking to class. 

"Hi! I'm Prompto Argentum!"

He slaps me on the back with a smirk.

**Author's Note:**

> The end probably seems rushed because it's stuff we see in the anime. I wanted to end it on a hopeful note despite how sad (and a bit creepy) it is.


End file.
